Laurel man arrested after crashing twice during police pursuit

Staff Report

Monday

Jan 8, 2018 at 1:00 PM

Finally apprehended near Trussum Pond Road.

Delaware State Police arrested a Laurel man after he led troopers on a pursuit Sunday morning.

Around 9:30 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 7, the Sussex Emergency Operations Center (911) dispatched a “be on the lookout” for 28-year-old David S. Burns, of Laurel, who was last seen operating a silver Mercedes-Benz with a stolen license plate. Burns was wanted by the Seaford Police Department for the stolen tag and another pursuit that occurred on Jan. 2, as well as out of State Police Troop 5 in Bridgeville for burglary, theft and criminal mischief.

Around 11:30 a.m. on Jan. 7, a trooper on patrol spotted the suspect vehicle on Seaford Road, near the intersection of Discount Land Road in Laurel. Burns, who was driving the vehicle, pulled into the Food Lion grocery store at 30214 Sussex Highway, in Laurel, as the trooper conducted a computer check. After the fictitious registration was confirmed, the trooper attempted to conduct a traffic stop in the parking lot by activating his emergency equipment. He had exited his vehicle and approached the suspect vehicle when Burns fled the parking lot.

Burns maneuvered around another patrol vehicle onto Route 13 southbound towards County Seat Highway (Route 9), driving aggressively, passing on the shoulder and recklessly disregarding a red light at the intersection of Routes 13 and 9 and continuing to flee southward. He then moved into the northbound lanes, still traveling southward, and turned onto eastbound Trussum Pond Road, where he then made a u-turn and drove back toward the highway.

At that point, police discontinued the pursuit, but when Burns reached the red light at Route 13, he disregarded it and crashed into a 2015 Ford F-150 being operated by a 55-year-old Virginia male. Despite the crash, he continued on, then striking a 2016 Ford 4H being operated by a 66-year-old Millsboro female. At that point, Burns fled on foot into a wooded area near Trussum Pond Road. A trooper and his K9 partner found him hiding in small ditch behind a broken toilet.

The 58-year-old male driver of the 2015 Ford F-150 was wearing his seatbelt and was not injured in the collision.

The 66-year-old female driver of the Ford passenger car was wearing her seatbelt and was transported to Nanticoke Memorial hospital for further evaluation and treatment for minor injuries.

Burns was also transported to the Nanticoke Memorial Hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries and released. He was charged with possession of a deadly weapon during the commission of a felony, reckless endangering, receiving stolen property, resisting arrest, vehicular assault, leaving the scene of a collision resulting in injury, disregarding a police officer signal, aggressive driving, reckless driving, driving without a valid license and other traffic related offenses. He was committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $26,360 cash bond and was issued an additional $5,750 secured bond for the burglary, theft and criminal mischief charges.